Police Influence on Society

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Police Influence on Society CJA 344 Police Influence on Society The influence police have on society come in many different ways. The ways police have influence on society can be either positive or negative. Law enforcement personnel in a whole are entrusted with the job of protecting and serving the community. Police are one of the three key components of justice in America. Law enforcements key purpose is to keep order and deter criminal activity in this country. In history the system of American police was something learned from Great Britain and adapted by America. In the past the first ideals of policing were controlled by the able-bodied men and young boys who were part of the first Europeans to venture to our lands. This was mainly a defensive motion as it was used to defend themselves from the natives to the lands that did not wish to share their home (Schmallager, 2009). As time went on and the natives became more settled and peace was more successful, policing became one of the primary duties of the Justices of the Peace. As evolution took hold of the colonies, they became cities and towns making it necessary to create a more organized form of law enforcement. Then “The Night Watch was born, in 1636 as a productive way to control the actions and criminal activities of the area in Boston. New York later took on the same idea creating the Shout and Rattle Watch in 1651(Schmallager, 2009). Through the success in some areas of these teams and the weaknesses in other areas, Philadelphia felt that policing could be more productive if the area was divided and assigned small teams per area. Once the population grew extensively and industrialism had a firm grasp on America, it was mandated that the municipal police departments be developed, Philadelphia started its independent police force that would be on duty 24 hours a day (Schmallager,
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